Abortion in El Salvador
The cover story of the New York Times Sunday Magazine this week is titled Pro-Life Nation and looks at the criminalization of abortion in El Salvador:
That unusual kind of criminal is the woman who has an abortion. The article includes interviews with women who have had illegal abortions, the doctors who report them to authorities, the investigators who gather evidence of the crime, and the magistrates who decide to prosecute and sometimes send those women to prison. The article also provides some history of the role of the Catholic church and grass roots activists who succeeded in passing laws and constitutional amendments making abortion illegal in all circumstances.
You can also listen to two interviews with Jack Hitt who wrote the New York Times story here and here.
There are other countries in the world that, like El Salvador, completely ban abortion, including Malta, Chile and Colombia. El Salvador, however, has not only a total ban on abortion but also an active law-enforcement apparatus -- the police, investigators, medical spies, forensic vagina inspectors and a special division of the prosecutor's office responsible for Crimes Against Minors and Women, a unit charged with capturing, trying and incarcerating an unusual kind of criminal.
That unusual kind of criminal is the woman who has an abortion. The article includes interviews with women who have had illegal abortions, the doctors who report them to authorities, the investigators who gather evidence of the crime, and the magistrates who decide to prosecute and sometimes send those women to prison. The article also provides some history of the role of the Catholic church and grass roots activists who succeeded in passing laws and constitutional amendments making abortion illegal in all circumstances.
You can also listen to two interviews with Jack Hitt who wrote the New York Times story here and here.
Comments
"La vida es un regalo de Dios, es sagrada para Dios, nosotros no podemos darle menos valor. El derecho a la vida es la base de todos los demás derechos, sin el derecho a la vida no hay más ningún derecho
"El aborto es el principal problema ético de nuestros tiempos. En este asunto se basará la solución de muchos otros relacionados con la vida humana... estar `personalmente opuesto al aborto', y negarse a expresar esta convicción públicamente es una contradicción ética y moral indigna de los que a sí mismos se denominan católicos o cristianos
"Pueden estar seguros de mi posición: No daré mi apoyo mediante las palabras o la acción a favor de ningún político que tenga una postura abiertamente a favor del aborto, o que se refugie en el llamado `derecho a decidir'. Categóricamente rechazo la excusa: `estoy personalmente opuesto al aborto, pero en esta sociedad pluralista debo respetar los derechos de aquellos que no están de acuerdo conmigo'. Es indispensable que cada uno de nosotros tome en serio al movimiento pro vida
"Nadie que sea realmente cristiano puede decir,`yo en conciencia pienso de manera distinta en esta materia', ni apoyar a quienes se manifiestan y obran en sentido contrario.
"Ningún católico puede responsablemente tomar una postura `a favor del derecho a decidir' en lo que concierne la matanza de una vida humana...los funcionarios públicos, especialmente los católicos, deben reconocer su responsabilidad moral de proteger a los débiles e inocentes
"En líneas generales decíamos entonces que se debe optar entre fuerzas políticas, que defiendan la vida en toda su extensión, desde el seno materno hasta la muerte".
"No se libran de responsabilidad los que han `legitimado' la votación de la ley del aborto, cualquiera que haya sido el sentido de su voto.
"Contraerán excomunión todos los que procuran, realizan o cooperan a realizar un aborto efectivo, así como aquellos católicos que favorecen el aborto en puestos de autoridad y de función pública.
"A veces se pretende eludir las responsabilidades más altas, como si la intervención de los poderes públicos se redujese a hacer de testigos, registradores o notarios de la `voluntad popular'. Ellos verán. A Dios no se le engaña.
"La regla general es clara. Los católicos que en cargo público, con leyes o actos de gobierno, promueven o facilitan, y en todo caso protegen jurídicamente la comisión del aborto, no podrán escapar a la calificación moral de pecadores públicos. Como tales habrán de ser tratados
Este es otro acto de hipocresia del gobierno de ineptos e inmundos areneros. Si de verdad fueran "pro-vida", si de verdad les importara la vida y los valores morales y religiosos, si de verdad eso les importara, entoces estarian haciendo algo para parar la violencia del pais , ya que hay muchos mas asesinatos que abortos en El Salvador. Porque una mujer que ha tenido un aborto recibe un castigo de 30 años de carcel y los pandilleros que matan cientos de personas inocentes van a la carcel hoy y salen mañana?
Si de verdad les interesara "proteger" la vida, entonces estarian protegiendo la vida de muchos niños pobres que estan muriendo de diarrea, pero claro, no hay dinero para eso - solo hay para millonarias campañas politiqueras de odio y difamacion de FMLN y para mantener la imagen del plebeyo violador de la constitucion falsamente llamado presidentede la republica, mientras tanto los niños de los pobres siguen muriendo de diarrea...gobierno pro-vida? Obviamente no, no de la vida de 6 millones de salvadoreños pobres - talvez pro-mejor vida de los areneros de las 8 corcoraciones que explotan e El Salvador.
Si de verdad este desgraciado gobierno fuera pro-vida, entonces no hubieran aprobado la ley que permite a todos la compra de 2 armas de fuego, pero claro como siempre, les interesa mas la jugosa ganancia de la venta de armas que les queda a los arerenros que tienen negocios de ventas de armas y empresas de seguridad. Gobierno pro-vida? HELL NO.
Hermanos, esto es un crimen, Si sentimos la represión porque nos matan a jóvenes y gente que ya es grande, lo mismo es quitar la vida en las entrañas de la mujer: es hombre como el profesor que es asesinado, como el Ministro de Educación que es asesinado; también el niño en las entrañas es un hombre que por el aborto es asesinado.
El aborto, que se legaliza; y a pesar de que los obispos pedíamos al mismo Presidente y en la misma Asamblea respeto a la vida en las entrañas de la mujer, allí están las leyes. Esa es verdadera persecución a la Iglesia, desde las leyes contra la moral que la Iglesia predica y a pesar de haberle prometido al episcopado entero que se respetaría ese derecho a la vida, derecho de nacer, como dice la película, ni siquiera el derecho de nacer. Y se dice que se respetan los derechos humanos en El Salvador y son montones, se cuentan por millares, los abortos en los mismos hospitales, en las mismas clínicas médicas, y se pagan viajes al extranjero incluyendo un aborto. Ya se ve la malicia de esas excursiones. Es terrible, hermanos. Vivimos de veras bajo esta maldición del profeta.
palabras de Monseñor Romero
"The leadership of the FMLN, afraid that the party would be trounced in the coming elections if they were on the record as opposing the amendment, freed its deputies from their obligation to follow the party's position and urged them to vote with their consciences. When the final vote was taken, the amendment passed overwhelmingly."
Anonymous said...
"Es obvio, al menos para gente culta, que esta accion del gobierno de arena es una artimaña"
It is obvious that Anonymous can't read the NYT: the FMLN largely voted for the abortion ban amendment. Looks like Anonymous has reading comprehension issues.
The arena government is treating those women as if they were criminals, and at the same time, arena militants and arena government officials are selling weapons to criminals who kill dozens of innocent people on a daily basis - these real criminals go to jail today and get out tomorrow, and that seems to be "all right" with the government of Tony K-Saca. That is hypocrisy, but obviously they don't care because the are making big profits from the weapons black market.
If they were pro-life, they would not let poor children die because of a stupid diarrhea; that is outrageous! That is dead wrong! Children die because of a stupid diarrhea on the 21st century, and what does the government do about it? NOTHING! They "don't have money" to do something about it, because they spent millions of dollars in propaganda during the passed elections, and they keep spending millions to maintain the president's image. All of that is trashy politics in the making - a move by arena to appeal to vulnerable, and misinformed religious people.
I'd rather have a government that enforces all laws than a choosy one. If you don't like a law, have it repealed. Selective enforcement is the path to corruption.
Regarding your other points, I largely agree that the State uses its limited resources foolishly. This is why we need to privatize: there will be less ways for the government to squander our money. What shall be first: ANDA, perhaps?
BINGO! You said the magic word: CORRUPTION. Now we're talking! That's what this government is about. They have 16 years of experience. That's the true meaning of "HAGAMOS EQUIPO"; Casa presidencial, PNC, TSE, Tele-Confusion Salvadoreña, El Diablo de Hoy, Periodico El Dundo, La Prensa Plastica, etc.etc.etc. Ah! I almost forgot their political prostitutes, the PCN. But that's not all... because "Lo mejor esta por venir"... Primero El Salv..corruption, segundo El Salv.. corruption, and tercero El Salv..more corruption.
Privatize? ha, ha, ha,..Are you really serious? Where are the poor people going to get the money for the rising costs? More remesas?
Great. You have conceded that the whole abortion thing is not an Arena complot, since, in your words, "the FMLN voted for that bill."
Next, you complain about the tax squandering problems the country faces. I propose a very specific and demonstrably reasonable solution that has worked out in fields such as power distribution and telephony, and that is successfully used in countries such as Spain.
Then, instead of either proposing an alternative solution, you come out with a generic, feel-good complaint: who's going to pay for the cost increases? What leads you to believe there will be _any_ cost increases? In privatized areas, ES enjoys lower costs than many comparable countries! For instance, gasoline, telephone, home-electricity.
Where are your fresh, workable, alternative ideas? Or are you just all about whining?
but with people like you, it seems to be all about denial of the corruption and inability, or unwillingness of this government to come up with real answers to solve the chaotic situation in the country. I don't think you are honestly asking me what leads me to believe there would be cost increases in privatizing. Anything private equals better service and higher prices. Private is better,if you can afford it, but for millions of salvadorans who make a living with earnings from $3 to $8 a day without getting a raise in years, it's unreal - not to mention the unemployed at around 13%, or the workers in the informal sector, which is now about 50% of the country's work force.
In countries with broken economies like in El Salvador, privatizing is a dumb idea. On top of that, as a result of the dollarization, another big mistake, inflation is killing the country's broken economy completely. For instance, things that used to cost 4.50 colones(about $0.50 when the exchange rate was at 8.75 colones for $1 dollar) now cost $1 dollar. In other words, people are paying the equivalent of 8.75 colones for what they used to pay only 4.50 a few years ago. No wonder the president of the Banco Central de Reserva, Rafael Barraza, recognized publicly that the economic "policies" of ARENA have been a failure, given the fact that the country survives mainly thanks to the remittances from salvadorans in the US.
I don't know where you got the information about lower gas prices, but $3.39 a gallon to me is an extremely high price for El Salvador's pitiful economy - that price is even higher than what people pay for gasoline in any US city. The same inflation applies to telephony, electricity, etc.
There are many things a government could do to better the lives of 6 million people, but there is nothing that shows that this ARENA government is, capable, or willing to do so, specially after 16 years of the same thing: corruption, corruption and more corruption. I hope I'm wrong, but I believe the ARENA dictatorship is leading us into another civil war. Like in the 70s, we see repression, electoral fraud, injustice, violence, corruption, extreme poverty in millions of people who desperately need solutions, but instead of giving solutions to the people's needs, the government spends millions of dollars in propaganda to enhance the president's image and in punishing poor women for having abortions. Again, this abortion thing is nothing but trashy politics in the making to appeal to vulnerable uninformed and misinformed religious people to get their vote, and to perpetuate this dictatorship.
por favor, mas opiniones sobre el aborto en el Salvador.
Este es un tema muy interesante y me fascina aprender de otras opiniones( Spanish or Emglish)
It is really that penalize...do women really go to jail long term?
On a wider note, how unforgiving if this is a trashy politic ploy to maneuver the vulnerable uninformend and misinformed religios people to win their votes.. as previosly stated.
Im only giving an outside point of view.. and,
politic kills!